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Wood pushed back to Friday to get extra rest

5/20/13: Travis Wood lifts a grand slam and strikes out six batters to earn his fifth victory of the season

By Cash Kruth
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MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have shuffled their rotation to give Travis Wood a couple extra days off, though the club says the left-hander is healthy.

Right-handers Scott Feldman and Matt Garza will start Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, during the Cubs' two-game set against the Angels in Anaheim. Wood, originally scheduled to pitch Wednesday, will start Friday's series opener against the Pirates at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs, who are off Monday and Thursday, insist nothing is wrong with the 26-year-old lefty.

"He's pitched a lot of innings already, and a lot of pitches in those games and a lot of stressful innings, too," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Just give him a few extra days."

Wood is 5-3 with a team-leading 2.75 ERA in 11 starts this season. He's already pitched 72 innings -- the second-highest on the team behind Jeff Samardzija -- and is on pace for 33 starts and 215 innings.

His career high is 197 1/3 innings, established last year between the Majors and Minors. Wood also has averaged 97 pitches per outing this season.

Sveum said now is the best time to give the lefty a short break.

"You're always going to try, when everything works out, to give somebody some extra time," Sveum said. "This is a good time, two months into the season, to give him a little breather."

Cash Kruth is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cashkruth. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.